The bed of a pickup truck is generally a few feet above ground level. This height prevents a user from readily stepping into the cargo bed from the ground in order to carry a load to the front portion of the pickup bed. While a user is able to climb onto the bed from the ground he is not able to do this without using his arms. While he can lift a load onto the tailgate from the ground, he is unable to shift that load from the tailgate to the front of the truck bed to allow the truck bed to be filled or the load to be secured. He is unable to carry even a small load while climbing onto the pickup truck bed from ground level. What is needed is a step between ground level and the level of the pickup bed, to allow a user to step up, or down in an erect position, carrying a load in his arms, either onto or off of the pickup truck bed.
The height of a pickup bed generally ranges between 2½ and 3 feet. This is substantially more than the height of a standard step. With a step height which is substantially more than the height of a standard step, there is an increased need to have an elevated handle beside the step to maintain balance and to pull oneself up onto the pickup bed. This need to maintain balance is an important safety concern. Falling from the height of the pickup bed, or even the height of the step could result in serious injury.
Most pickup trucks are sold at a price which indicates that the purchaser is significantly concerned not only with function, but with appearance. He does not want is truck to look other than sporty in order to facilitate its work functionality when it is only used to haul paraphernalia a few percent of the time. There is an unmet need to provide a pickup step which is generally inconspicuous when the tailgate is closed, or when the tailgate is in its normal operable position.